The Strange Case Of Blake Belladonna
by Rylak
Summary: Blake is fed up with Yang and is headed for a meltdown unless someone steps in. After dodging Cardin and Yang, she must find her way out of Beacon and across Vale. Joined by Ruby, Velvet, and Nora, she eventually comes to her destination. There waits the biggest challenge of them all. Four girls go, but only three will return. Blake POV. Unconventional pairing.
1. When The Bow Breaks

"Blake."

Trying to ignore your partner is pretty hard, don't you think?

"Blake."

Especially when they're someone like Yang.

"Blake. Blake. Blake."

It doesn't help that we're in class and I'm trying to listen to Professor Port's lecture.

"BLAKE!"

I don't understand how he hasn't kicked her out of the class yet.

"BlakeBlakeBlakeBlakeBlake."

Seriously, kick her out already. I'll do all her work for the class. Just let me pay attention. I probably know all this stuff already anyway.

"Blake, stop ignoring me."

I slowly turned to look at her, and was about to open my mouth to shush her when a certain moustachioed teacher cleared his throat.

"Miss Belladonna, am I boring you?"

I just shook my head. He grunted and went back to his lecture. Thank you Yang. Thank you so very much. Well, at least she stopped bothering me. Now I might be able to get something out of this class.

"Blaaaaake."

Father God, forgive me, for I am about to commit murder.

* * *

Bless you, Nora Valkyrie.

It is because of that unbelievably loud and obnoxious girl that I can get a moment of silence at lunchtime. Please don't misunderstand. There was by no means actual legitimate silence, or even peace. There was more noise than usual, but absolutely none of it was directed towards me.

Nora was going off on some inane tangent about battling something that I don't think was ever a real thing. I wasn't really paying attention, but Yang sure was. She was completely engrossed in the tale. I was taking full advantage of the lucky break and spending some time reading a book.

For those of you who are wondering, no I'm not reading Ninjas Of Love. We're in the lunchroom and everyone is here. I only read that one when I'm alone, and I'd probably have to commit Seppuku if anyone ever found it. Why am I telling you about this?

All good things must come to an end, of course. When Yang suddenly elbowed me, the book flew out of my hands. I didn't even get to check what page I was on. Curse you, Yang. Guilo was about to foil Gordon Mayer's attempt to sway the votes. Now I have to wait to find out who wins the vote. What do you want, Yang?

She just stared at me, looking like she expected that I had been paying attention to Nora. "Don't you think that was great? I never knew you could do that with donuts!"

I picked my book up off the seat beside me and smoothed out the wrinkled pages, glaring at Yang in the process. "It's amazing how you can pay more attention to Nora at lunchtime than to any of the professors in the actual classes."

Yang snorted at me. "What's wrong with you today? First you're getting in trouble in class and now you're snapping at me for I don't even know what."

"You're the one who got me into trouble in class, and I was enjoying the peace and quiet until you disturbed me."

Yang gestured to the room around us. "Peace and quiet? No such thing here."

"There was until you started talking." I reopened my book and began flipping through the pages looking for the place I had left off.

Without any sort of warning, the book disappeared from my hands. I looked up to find it being held above me by my partner. At least she had her thumb holding it open to the right spot.

Yang stared at me for a moment, her mouth gaping. It was undoubtedly the calm before the storm, because I think I may have said something she didn't like. She found some words eventually. "Are you saying I talk too much?"

"Ruby talks more than you. You're just really loud. Can I have my book back?"

"So you're saying I have an annoying voice, then."

"No, that's Weiss. You're just really loud." That's probably going to come back to-

"Did she just say that I have an annoying voice?"

Baka.

Time for damage control. "Everyone's annoying in their own special way. The trick is to tolerate as many as you can."

All conversation at the table seemed to stop at this point. Yes, I think I know where I screwed up. Maybe I'm not as good at damage control as I thought I was. Or maybe people just don't like to hear that their annoying.

Pyrrha was the one who tried to talk first. "I find it hard to believe you actually think that's true. It's an awfully pessimistic viewpo-"

But of course Nora interrupted. "I bet I talk too much!"

Everyone looked at me expectantly. What do you want? I'm not digging this hole any deeper. I'll break through the crust and into the mantle.

Ren pulled me out of the spotlight. "Actually, if I had any complaint about you, Nora, that wouldn't be it."

Nora sighed and sat back down. "Darn. I'd rather know what people don't like about me. If that's not it, then I'm clueless."

Yang shook her head. "There's nothing not to like, Nora. You're awesome. Some people just have difficulty seeing that." She glared down at me as she said that last bit. This really needs to stop before it goes any further.

"Sorry I said anything. I didn't really mean any of that, I just... want to read my book in peace. Can I please have it back?" I held out my hand, hoping Yang would be kind enough to return my property.

She shook the book in my face. "Alright, but we're talking about this later."

I took the book. "Sure." Later isn't now, so I'll deal with it when the time comes. She grunted, sounding unsatisfied, but sat down and turned away from me.

I flipped through the pages until I found where I had left off. Everyone else slowly went back to their conversations. I got a few more lines into the story, when I was interrupted in the most heinous way conceivable. This time, Yang wasn't even the perpetrator. No, it was far worse than that.

Cardin Winchester patted me on the head. He said some block-headed pseudo-compliment intended to possibly distract me from the unwanted physical contact. Okay, so I don't know what he was trying to accomplish, but I do know his hand lingered to long tracing the outline of my bow.

Seeing as he likely doesn't have many fans that will be reading this, I think it's okay if I tell you that Cardin hit the floor a second later. I hope I dislocated his jaw. It would only be justice after his jaw broke the spine of my book.

"You're gonna pay for that one." He stood up. I let him stand up, and that was my mistake. It wasn't hard to notice that his team was all present. That's okay, I've got a team of my own...

When I looked behind me, only Ruby had stood up. She was quickly pulled back into her seat by Yang, who added a comment. "Don't look to us. We're just a bunch of annoying people."

Yang... don't make me cut off your ahoge.

Well, thankfully, Yang can't stop Nora. No one can stop Nora. She bounded over the table, and Yang's head, with her hammer in her hands. I was not aware that we were allowed to bring our weapons into the lunchroom, but seeing as it's Nora... it might really not be allowed.

"Geronimo!"

The boys scattered, and I again commend Nora for saving me a lot of trouble because that gave us enough time for someone else to step in. I mean, it should have. It didn't, so we ended up running for our lives. Just me and Nora, running through the halls of Beacon, being chased by four angry bird-brains.

We lost them at some point, but I really don't know how long we kept running afterwards. All I know is that when we stopped, Nora was laughing like... well... Nora, and we only stopped because I ran into someone.

Or rather, I tripped over someone. They were lying face down on the ground. I flipped them over onto their back, and recognized her as Velvet Scarlatina. We've never really talked, but I've seen Cardin picking on her. That guy is really a jerk in every way. Anyway, I wonder what she's doing in the middle of the hallway like this.

She opened her eyes slowly and stared up at me, eventually smiling weakly. I don't think I've ever seen her smile. Strange... She reached up and brushed her fingers across my face, which felt sorta weird, so I pulled back a bit. She seemed really out of it, so I started to check her for injuries. She wasn't bleeding anywhere, and she wasn't showing any signs of broken bones. I'm pretty sure she was in perfect health.

She reached up and lightly swatted at the top of my head, so I back further away. I'd rather she didn't get too close to my bow. There's a very good reason I wear it and... and I'm not saying anything else about that to you or anyone else.

Beside me, I heard Nora stop laughing for a moment. "Oh, wow..."

I looked up at her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing..." She went back to laughing.

Then I felt Velvet's hand gently grab onto... where my bow should have been, and she let out a quiet giggle. "I thought they were real."

...

Baka.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So... what is this? We'll find out in the coming days. This story because... Blake is adorable. Velvet is also adorable. And Blake needs more love. Yang's getting all of Blake's well-deserved love. It's not right. This is all for Blake.


	2. We Are Not Different

In case you skipped the first chapter, which you shouldn't have, I'll fill you in on what happened. Yang bothered me far beyond reason, then got mad when I told her off. Cardin Winchester showed up at just the wrong time and may or may not have inadvertently discovered my... well... actually, forget it. You're going to find out sooner or later anyway, so here it is.

My name is Blake Belladonna, and I am a Faunus.

You get it? I have Cat ears. They should have been hidden under my bow, but I seem to have lost that crucial piece of my outfit. I have no idea when I lost it. It could have fallen off at some point while I was running through the school with Nora Valkyrie, escaping Cardin and his team of dolts. I regret that I may have lost it as early as when I smacked Cardin in the jaw with my book. If that's the case, then not only would he and his entire team have noticed, but pretty much everyone else as well.

As it is, I'm only sure Nora and Velvet Scarlatina know my secret. Although, watching her try to stand up, I think Velvet is out of it enough that she might not even remember seeing anything. Nora, on the other hand, could probably tell everyone without anyone actually believing that I'm a Faunus.

Oh yeah, by the way, tell anyone and you're dead. I will literally beat you to death with your own skull. You may think that doesn't seem physically possible, and that's what you'll be screaming while it's happening. Also, I didn't mean any of that.

Nora, who was standing beside me, was enjoying watching the Rabbit Faunus stumbling around. Eventually, Nora thought to ask her a question. "So, uh... what happened to you?"

Velvet fell onto her back and giggled. "I don't know. What happened to you?"

If I had to guess, which I apparently do, I'd say she was delirious. I couldn't guess what brought it on. Maybe she just hit her head really hard on something... like... the floor. That's really the best I can come up with.

Down the hallway, my friend and fearless team leader Ruby skidded into view. I panicked and covered my ears with my hands. I can't let anyone know about this. I need to find my bow. Only then will I be able to breath easy. Ruby ran over to us and looked to me, then to Velvet, then back to me.

"What happened? Is she okay? Why are you holding your head like that?"

Nora jumped in. "Blake's embarrassed because-"

I am not going to let her finish that sentence. "Because I lost my bow!"

Nora looked over at me, then quickly smiled. "Yeah! We need to go find it for her!"

Ruby blinked at me, then smiled kindly. "Oh, Blake, you don't have to be embarrassed! I know exactly how you feel!"

Does she? "You do?" I doubt it...

She pulled her giant scythe weapon out from behind her, letting it unfold to it's full size. "Of course! I get all nervous whenever I go somewhere without Crescent Rose! Yang says it's because I'm insecure... well, maybe she's right, but if having your bow makes you feel safer, then find your bow we shall!"

I... I don't know what to say. Ruby's pretty much right, she's just missing one little fact... or should I say 'two little points'? "Well... having my bow... would make me feel safer." So far so good. Easy there, girl. Don't go letting the cat out of the bag. "I'd rather not be seen without it..."

Ruby put her scythe away. "Then stay right here! Nora and I will search for it!" She spun around and ran off down the hallway. Nora saluted and chased after her. They were gone seconds later.

Now it's just me and the dizzy bunny.

Velvet suddenly bolted upright. "Oh no! I'm late for class! It's history class too! I'm going to miss the only class I have good grades in!"

Okay, so now she's somewhat lucid. I called after her as she ran down the hall. "History class was this morning. It's after lunchtime."

She stopped and turned to me, horrified. "I already missed it?"

Yeah... this girl's a lost cause. She drooped over, her ears and arms flopping sadly. How am I supposed to comfort someone like this? "It's okay, just say you weren't well. I'll help you with any assignments you missed."

She straightened up a bit and looked at me, eventually giving a small smile. "I... I would like that. Thank you." Then she squinted at me and tilted her head. "Why are you holding your head like that?"

I shall alter what was actually going through my mind while I explained the position of my hands. "Well, uh, you see..." Baka baka baka. "I lost my bow..." Duck duck duck. "And I, uh, I'm... insecure..." Baka baka duck ship punt. "And my bow makes me feel better..." Yang Xiao Long. "...because it hides my ears."

And so I removed my hands. Velvet could now lucidly behold my fluffy black ears, and her reaction was about what I would expect. Her eyes went wide. "You... you're a... you're one of us?"

I hate having to explain this to people. "I wear the bow to hide my ears, because I don't want people to think of me differently."

"Blake, you don't need to hide it from anyone."

Oh... crap.

I turned around to face Ruby, who was standing behind me. She held out her hand, showing me the bow. "It would just be easier if everyone was just themselves. You don't have to hide that you're a Faunus. Even if anyone picks on you, you've got your friends to help you."

That's nice, Ruby, really. But that's only part of the problem. I took the bow and put it back on my head, covering my ears again. "I appreciate that, Ruby... but I'm not here to be known as a Faunus. I'm here to be a Huntress. I don't have time for bullies or jerks." Because I felt she could use a push like this, I turned to Velvet. "We're not here to prove points to imbeciles like Cardin. We're here to serve the people of Vytal."

Nora, who had been standing behind Ruby and was surprisingly quiet, finally jumped in. "Of course that's not why we're here. It's a bonus!"

Ruby surprised me with her response to Nora. "No, that's not it." She turned back to me. "I see what you're saying, Blake. If we're going to gt the respect of our fellow Hunters and Huntresses, we do it by fighting monsters. Not by fighting each other. Their opinions of us don't change what we're here to do, and if we don't let them, those opinions can't do anything to us."

Ruby deserves a cookie for that. "I have to say, I didn't expect you to be the one who saw it the same way, Ruby."

She shrugged. "I'm fifteen years old and everyone else here is seventeen or older. I used to worry about what other people thought, but now I realize that it's not important. I might be the only person at Beacon who feels more out of place than you, but I found my way."

Footsteps from down the hallway caught all our attentions. Walking towards the four of us was Professor Ozpin, and he had a suspicious piece of paper in his hand. He smiled as he approached us.

Ruby and Nora smiled back cheerfully, while Velvet looked down at the ground. He took no notice other than to nod briefly to Ruby, then held the paper out to me. "Miss Belladonna, this arrived for you this morning." I took it from him and inspected it, noticing that it was an envelope. He turned and left. "You girls have a good day."

It took until he was out of sight for me to notice that the other girls were all peering over my shoulder at the envelope. They're all curious, I know. Deciding I wanted to know too, I turned the envelope over and began to work on opening it. I stopped when I saw writing on the envelope. Sure enough, it was addressed to me, but that's not what made me freeze.

It was from Adam.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Blake the Cat Faunus! Enjoy!


	3. Floral Fever

Adam...

That fiend can't let me be, can he?

Okay, I'll let you in on another secret. I was once a member of the White Fang. For those of you who don't know, the White Fang used to be a peaceful organization meant to bring about equality between Humans and Faunus. Unfortunately, new leadership stepped up and everything changed. Now the White Fang and Faunus in general are treated with respect, but out of fear. That's hardly what I wanted, so I left.

More specifically, I left because of Adam. I left because he was willing to destroy a train belonging to the Schnee Dust Company without a thought to the innocent minimum-wage workers who would die in the process. I saved those people, but severed all ties to Adam and the White Fang in doing so. I can only imagine how he managed to track me down.

I can think of only two reasons he could have to track me down. Either he wants me to come back and rejoin the White Fang, or he's decided to hunt me down as a traitor. Whichever it is, he's going to be disappointed. I didn't betray him or the White Fang. They betrayed me when they started fighting for supremacy instead of asking for equality. There's no way I'm going back, and I think Adam may be outmatched next to everyone I'd have on my side.

"Who's Adam?"

Oh, right, I have people waiting to read my private mail. Sorry to keep you girls waiting. I glanced at Ruby, who had asked the question. "He was someone I knew before I applied to Beacon."

All three of them made 'O' shapes with their mouths. I wonder if they know they all look like idiots. I really don't want to read this with them looking over my shoulder. It really could be almost anything. I stepped forward and turned around so that while I was reading the letter, they wouldn't be able to read it as well. I opened the envelope and pulled the folded piece of paper out and started reading.

_Hello, Blake._

_I'm just writing to let you know about a few things. First of all, while I know you must hate me by now, I wanted to let you know that I am sorry. You were right to act the way you did, and while I don't like that you left, I believe that it was for the best. The White Fang was no longer the place for you to be._

_Secondly, the White Fang has placed a bounty on your head. It's not a terribly high price, so you don't have to worry too much, but I'd still feel better if you were forewarned. Also, I don't know if they'll raise the price or just give up if you make it hard for them. Be careful._

_Finally, I need your help. I know you probably won't want to, and you have every right not to, but I can't do this without you. I'll fill you in when you get here, if you choose to come. All I can say is that lives are at stake._

_Beacon is a good place for you, Blake. I wish you to be happy there and have good friends. I'm glad that you saw what the White Fang was becoming and left, but I am sorry that it was because of me. Just know that I trust you to make the right choice, like you always have._

_Adam_

I don't know what to say, think, or do right now. I glanced up at the three girls who seemed content to stare at the back of the letter. On a hunch, I checked the back for any extra information, hoping desperately that they weren't getting any vital details on my past life. To my disappointment, but also my relief, there was only one word written on the back.

_Floral Fever_

What? Is that even a thing? What is 'Floral Fever' supposed to mean? It's written in Adam's handwriting too, so it's got to be something, but that's beyond me. I looked up to see the three girls just staring. Nora was mouthing something, but I couldn't be bothered to try and understand that girl.

Suddenly, Nora burst out laughing. "Raffle lover!"

Ruby and Velvet exchanged glances, showing that they were just as confused as me. Ruby then surprised me by adding her own gibberish. "All I got was 'fell for rave'."

Velvet shrugged. "The best I could come up with was 'for far level'."

What are they on?

Ruby thought for a bit longer, sticking her tongue out in a display of contemplation. "Um... well, there's 'fall forever', but that's not very fun sounding, is it?"

I snapped my fingers at them, bringing them back out of the clouds. "Have any of you heard about something called Floral Fever?"

They just stared at me.

Oh...

Baka... I'm an idiot. I just realized that all that gibberish actually had a purpose. How did they catch onto that before me? Adam sent me a word jumble, and the answer is Forever Fall. I'm guessing that's where he wants me to meet him.

Well, darn. Now there's no way I'm getting there without these three following me, or at least Ruby. They've probably all figured out the answer by now... well, maybe not Nora.

Ruby squinted at me suspiciously. "So... why did this Adam guy send you an anagram for Forever Fall?"

Well, you see, it's like this. "I think he wants me to meet him there."

Ruby and Velvet looked somewhat interested, but Nora just looked like she knew something the rest of us didn't. Twenty seconds later and she finally blurted it out. "So it's like a date!"

What? No. "Nora, my relationship with Adam has never been anything close to a romantic one. It's more like... master and apprentice, I guess."

All three of them gave disappointed looks, but Ruby quickly cheered up. "Well, I guess that means it's alright if the whole team goes!"

Okay, no. "No it's not alright. You can't bring Yang and Weiss."

"Why not?"

"Because they don't know I'm a Faunus. I'd prefer the least amount of people as possible know that, at least for now."

Ruby shrugged. "They don't have to know. Just keep your bow on and-"

I shook my head. "If they come with us, they will find out. Adam is a Faunus too. There's no way we'd be able to keep them from figuring out."

Ruby crossed her arms triumphantly. "'If they come with _us_', you say." She looked to Velvet and Nora. "Well, we do have some other choices of travel companions..."

I walked right into that one. Now Ruby's set on coming with me. "Look, Ruby... I'm still not sure if I should even go. We didn't really part on good terms, and for all I know it could be a trap."

Nora pumped her fist in the air. "Then you're going to need help!"

Ruby nodded in agreement with Nora. "Yeah. If it's a trap, then you'll have the best team there is for dealing with it."

I give up. "Fine. If I do decide to go, then you can come."

Velvet squeaked. "Wait, did I just get pulled into this?"

She would probably be better off staying here. In fact, we all would. Nora seemed to think otherwise, seeing as she pounced on Velvet and hugged her. "Of course you did! Let's go meet Adam together!"

Down, Nora! Down! "Look, if you guys really want to, then we'll go. I just want you to remember that I know Adam. That means I'm in charge of the mission."

Ruby and Nora nodded enthusiastically. Velvet nodded unenthusiastically. So far so good. We just need to get permission to be absent for a few days or so, and then sneak out without Yang or Weiss or anyone else trying to come along.

Oh, yes, also... "And we may run into trouble that is unrelated to Adam."

The looks I got for that one were skeptical, excited, and worried. Ruby stepped forward carefully. "Trouble... from what?"

Might as well avoid beating around the bush. "Well, have you heard of the White Fang?" They all nodded. Here we go. "They want me dead."

Silence.

To my surprise, and probably Ruby's and Nora's, Velvet spoke up. "Then let's do it."

* * *

**Author's Notes: How do you think this is gonna go down? I'm mostly asking because I want to know how transparent my writing is.**


End file.
